Allotment holders in Hartlepool warned about lighting bonfires

ALLOTMENT holders are being warned that they should not now be lighting fires on their plots.

Hartlepool Council officials have issued a reminder about the rules relating to bonfires on allotments which only permit fires to be lit on the first weekend of every month from October to March.

And they intend to carry out regular spot checks on allotment sites across the town over the spring and summer to ensure the rules are being followed.

Joanne Taylor, Hartlepool Council’s Environmental Projects Officer, said: “Smoke from allotment fires can affect air quality and pose a health risk. Also, it isn’t pleasant for residents who want to sit out in their gardens or hang out washing.

“The rules are designed to restrict the numbers of fires and to limit their impact on the environment, and now that we are into March there should be no more until the autumn.

“While the vast majority of allotment holders abide by the rules - and we thank them for that - we will take action against anyone who is caught lighting a fire when they shouldn’t be.”

If gardeners are discovered to be breaking the rules on fires, they will receive a warning. Those who receive three warnings – either for fires or any other matters that put them in breach of their tenancy agreements – will face eviction.

Instead of lighting fires, gardeners are now being urged to recycle and compost their waste wherever possible.

Anyone wishing to report a nuisance bonfire can call the council’s allotment team on 01429-523406 or e-mail allotments@hartlepool.gov.uk

You've got the love the nanny state. There will be a post holder in Hartlepool Council hanging onto a job by churning out this tosh to the media and trying to enforce an utterly unenforceable and pointless rule.

Back in the mid 1990s I worked in Germany and was astounded to find out that there were laws restricting the lighting of garden barbecues on Sundays. Fast forward 20 years and we're not far behind them now in our petty bureaucracy.

Last night as I drove home I could see there were dozens of fires on the uplands of Teesdale and Weardale as landowners burned the heather and scrub to promote new growth and bird habitat. Has been like that for countless generations.

You've got the love the nanny state. There will be a post holder in Hartlepool Council hanging onto a job by churning out this tosh to the media and trying to enforce an utterly unenforceable and pointless rule.
Back in the mid 1990s I worked in Germany and was astounded to find out that there were laws restricting the lighting of garden barbecues on Sundays. Fast forward 20 years and we're not far behind them now in our petty bureaucracy.
Last night as I drove home I could see there were dozens of fires on the uplands of Teesdale and Weardale as landowners burned the heather and scrub to promote new growth and bird habitat. Has been like that for countless generations.Ally F